Tired of Being Tired

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Nobody likes the feeling of waking up tired and sluggish. Achieving a good night’s rest affects your energy levels, mood swings, and how you function mentally and physically the following day.

What you do before bed can significantly affect the quality of sleep you get at night and might be the reason you are struggling to get a good night of sleep. Take some time to analyze your bedtime routine and see if you are hindering your chances of achieving quality sleep before you even go to bed.

What is bad sleep hygiene?

1.   Over Eating Right Before You Go to Bed

Before falling asleep, your body needs appropriate time to digest food. Eating large portions of foods that do not digest easily can lead to heartburn or indigestion, making it harder to fall asleep at night. 

Instead of eating right before you go to bed, try eating dinner 2-3 hours before falling asleep. Eat small, low-calorie, and nutrient-dense foods if you are still hungry after dinner and are approaching your desired bedtime.

2.   Working Out Late at Night

Intense workouts completed right before you fall asleep can make it difficult to wind down due to increased body temperature and the production of new endorphins. There are plenty of health benefits that result from working out; however, when you work out too close to your ideal bedtime, your heightened body temperature and increased endorphins make it harder to wind down and fall asleep.

Instead of working out before bed, try working out earlier in the day, or at least 2-3 hours before falling asleep. Light stretching before bed is a great alternative and can help you relax physically and mentally.

3.   Too Much Blue Light Exposure Before Bed

As tempting as it is to watch your favorite TV series, text, or answer emails right before bed, using electronics increases your mental stimulation, which prohibits your brain from slowing down. The blue light emitted through electronics causes your brain to believe it is time to wake up, not fall asleep.

To ensure that you are putting your electronics away with ample time to allow your brain to start winding down, try putting all electronics away at least 30 minutes before you fall asleep. Reading a book or doing small household chores are great alternatives to help your body slow down before bed.

4.   Not Practicing Bedtime Routines

Crashing after a long day may sound appealing; however, not allowing your body to enter into a regular nighttime routine can throw off your quality of sleep and affect how you feel the next day.

Before falling asleep, it is essential to allow time for some simple household chores, journaling, stretching, or practicing self-care. Creating an evening routine can help you both physically and mentally decompress after a long day. Nighttime routines are one of the best ways to set yourself up for success to achieve healthy sleep and alert moods in the morning.  

In Conclusion

If you suffer from sleep disturbances or daytime sleepiness, it might be time to evaluate your sleep hygiene and start taking steps to better sleep.

If practicing good sleep hygiene still does not fix the problem, it might be time to seek help! At FusionSleep®, we have dedicated our entire medical practice to helping patients get their lives back through healthy sleep. We offer various sleep solutions, along with in-lab and at-home sleep testing options and virtual appointments on our established telemedicine platform.  Contact us today on our website or by calling 678.990.3962.

Lisa Driscoll